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1) Source: Samuels, Christina, A. (2006). “Education Department Research Plans for RTI Method, Scholastic News

Summary:This article talks about how the idea of Response to Intervention and how it has been used previously and how the new model is being looked at. Previously Response to Intervention was used to identify the discrepancies between a student’s academic abilities and how it correlated to their academic achievements. Now that the Response to Intervention has been re-instated into our school systems, they will be looking at the quality of instruction, and how students react to them. The article then goes into how many states are allowed to use up to 15% of their federal funding that previously was for special education, in order to do more research with the RTI system.


Reaction:This article has very basic knowledge about RTI, but it did allow me to become aware of the current goals that the program now is using, as opposed to what it had previously been doing. I think that it was a good idea to take some of that federal money from the special education system and put it into RTI because it opens up more options for kids with disabilities rather than just placing them in a lower level class.

Two Journal Entries
2) Source: Thomas, Suzanne, B., Dykes, Frank (2011). 'Promoting Successful Transitions: What Can We Learn From RTI to Enhance Outcomes for All Students?', Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 55:1, 1 – 9

Summary:This article explains how many schools are focusing on the students transitions into from elementary to secondary to post-secondary education. Talking about how the focus is on getting kids of the elementary level a solid foundation in their education, so that they are not left behind because they have been placed into special education classes. However, all students are not the same in their learning styles, and it will take tests and screenings in order to understand how specific students will learn the best. The primary focus is on getting students to be looking forward, keeping them career orientated. It then goes into activities that students in the different tiers of the RTI system that would work with the advancement of the students education.


Reaction: with the goal of getting students into higher education is exactly what this article is about. I thought that many of the activities that were presented in the article would in fact have an impact on how many students with disabilities would learn best. They explain that many of the students in the upper tiers would in fact do better if they incorporated hands-on activities as a method of learning. It also explained how much of the learning problems that many of these kids face is because of a lack of ability in the teachers. I think that many teachers do try to teach in a one-size fits all manner when in public schools, and that can cause a lot of difficulty for many students, especially early on.



3)Source: Thomas, S., & Dykes, F. (2011). Promoting Successful Transitions: What Can We Learn from RTI to Enhance Outcomes for All Students?. Preventing School Failure, 55(1), 1-9

Summary: RTI has been used by schools across the nation in identifying those who have problems, but they are leaving out the vulnerable children who may be struggling but do not necessarily have a statistically proven disability. This article goes into detail about the transition process that many students are facing and having problems with. Implementing systems such as RTI into educations general public could potentially benefit all students, not just those who have disabilities. In fact, some schools have been implementing a 3 or 4 tier system to help some of their students make an easier transition into secondary and postsecondary schooling. They also get into detail about how technology is playing a role in helping students undergoing the RTI approach. Teachers have to pay attention to what is coming out, because it could potentially help students who are in need.

Reaction:I thought it was interesting how they are correlating the rest of the community in with the methods that are being used by the RTI approach. I think that many students, even if they do not have a disability, could always use some assistance and guidance when taking their education to the next level. The benefit of having the whole community in on the RTI approach could possibly lead to schools having a lower dropout rate, and possibly a higher rate of those who attend post-secondary schools. Many students feel as though they are alone when making their transition, but methods like RTI could end that.



Viewpoint Article
4) Source: Fuchs, Douglas, Fuchs, Lynn, S. (2001). Responsiveness to Intervention: A Blueprint for Practitioners, Policymakers, and Parents, Teaching Exceptional Children, 57,59-61

Summary: RTI has a method in the way it tries to achieve success with students who have disabilities. The RTI process has a in which the program tries to identify the ways of instruction which accelerate learning for those continually are non responsive. It then goes into laying out a blueprint on the methods in which practitioners can identify and deal with young students who possibly have a learning disability. A case study was then presented which was done at Graceland Elementary School, just to show how the RTI system works. They started out the by taking all the first graders and making them take the curriculum-based measurement word identification fluency test. This made all the students read about 50 words in a minute, those who read the least correctly were first to be examined by instructors. After the top students were weaved out of the bunch, they began running more and more tests to try and find the students who would struggle the most. Those that indicated the most problems during the tests were then placed under different instruction that would fit their specific needs.

Reaction: The Method in which RTI chooses to identify students with disabilities is debatable, because they prefer to have a 3 tier system rather than having more tiers to put students through. I honestly think that more tests or tiers could benefit even more, why stop at 3. They also prefer to use the standard tutoring protocol method with their testing rather than using problem solving because it is more scientifically proven. However, I don’t think a program such as RTI should be eliminating methods, when they themselves are trying to expand ways of instruction with their students. I think that many using the tutoring method could also benefit from the problem solving method.





Summary Article
5) Source: Scanlon, Donna M. (2008), Response to Intervention: An Overview: New Hope for Struggling Learners, NYSUT: A Union of Professionals
Summary:This article specifically identifies itself with early childhood problems that are noticed through their reading abilities. RTI recognizes that many students who face reading problems early on will tend to continue down a road of problems with their education. It then goes into identifying students with reading problems sayings that there is a program criterion in identifying the difference between the student's measured intellectual ability and students measured reading achievement. However with every claim there will be those who claim it false, as it would happen with this IQ-Achievement discrepancy approach. They then start talking about how Vellutino, Scanlon, and Lyon (2000) did some tests and found out that there wasn’t a direct relationship between a students IQ and their reading abilities and achievement.



Reaction: This article actually shows that some of the methods in which RTI has tried to implement to identify students who have disabilities have not actually worked. This goes to show you that there is no such thing in as a one-step approach method within the education system because there are so many ways a child can have problems. Although studies have shown that reading and IQ do not always correlate with each other, many students who have had reading problems do in fact categorize as students with difficulties. That through early childhood many students who went through interventions specifically for reading were able to later on overcome their educational problems.